In today’s technological age, more and more businesses now prefer VoIP over traditional phone lines for their communication needs. Aside from having business telephone numbers that are not restricted geographically, VoIP or Voice Over Internet Protocol is more cost-effective, more flexible and more efficient than landlines. With better phone models that can be used for VoIP as well, this telecommunications solution is fast becoming the choice of small business start-ups.

Cost Effective. Making long distance and international calls entails steep fees when done using a traditional phone line or even a mobile phone unit. This is where VoIP is best used for as VoIP calls are routed over the Internet and are not charged additional fees on top of what you are paying for your broadband connection. VoIP, in effect, provides you with unlimited long distance and international calls. The initial cost of setting up a VoIP system may be expensive but the business stands to save more in the long run.

Flexible. VoIP can grow with your business. It allows you to add extra phone lines as your business grows and requires more employees. Also, hosted VoIP solutions can be configured according to your company’s specific requirements. It not only provides you with up-to-date telephony technology, it also provides scalable configuration for future expansion. Traditional phone lines such as PBX systems do not provide this flexibility and scalability.

Efficient. With VoIP, you can call your employees directly on their laptops, PCs and tablets – wherever they are. This also makes conference calls and teleconferencing easily accessible and forwarding calls to mobile phones possible. Software used in VoIP solutions can also respond to changes in the market fast and most have customizable management portals with a simple interface that facilitate effective communication. The easy-to-use features and functionality of VoIPs for business communications make it much more efficient than traditional phone lines.

Unlike landlines though, VoIP requires good Internet connection and could not be used during power outages. It may also be vulnerable to malware, viruses and even hackers. Nonetheless, the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages as these cons can be easily addressed by installing safeguards. As such, it is highly advisable for small businesses to go with the VoIP solution. Ideally though, a business must have both a landline and a VoIP system.